NYT Connections Hint - February 14, 2026

Happy Valentine’s, word-lovers! 💕 I tackled today’s Connections over breakfast hearts and a very jittery pour-over—because nothing says romance like aggressively eyeing 16 tiles while your toast grows cold. At first glance I thought, “Easy, just mushy love words!” but then GUMP swaggered in, and I realized Cupid was messing with me. Grab your chocolates (or emotional support snack of choice) and let’s untangle this sweet, sneaky grid together.

Word Explanations

• GUMP

  • Forrest Gump taught us life is unpredictable, yet he still ran straight into cinema immortality—and my annual “feel-good” movie list.

• BUMP

  • Speed bump, goose bump, fist bump—so many bumps, so little whiplash protection. I hit an emotional bump hearing my 90s playlist; nostalgia hurts.

• SPIKE

  • A spike can skewer volleyball dreams or chart stocks gone wild. I once watched my phone battery graph spike while texting my crush—equal parts thrilling and terrifying.

• SPEAR

  • It’s Shakespeare’s go-to weapon and your salad’s herb—spear doubles as medieval skewer and minty adjective. I’ll never forget my cousin calling asparagus “little green spears” and suddenly veggies felt epic.

• LUMP

  • Nobody wants a lump of coal on Valentine’s, but in gravy? Debateable. Fun fact: the phrase “lump sum” comes from merchants counting cash in literal heaps—money blobs!

• JUMP

  • Whether you jump to conclusions or over puddles, your heart literally leaps—your brain squirts dopamine like celebratory champagne. I jumped six inches when my dog barked at nothing; cardio achieved.

• JUNIOR

  • Junior means younger, smaller, cuter. My first boyfriend was a “junior,” and yes, dating him felt like smooching a legacy franchise.

• HIKE

  • A trail hike taxes calves; a price hike taxes wallets; both leave you panting. I once hiked up my courage to ask for a raise—sweat levels identical.

• SULLY

  • Captain Sully landed a jet on the Hudson and, more importantly, landed in every dad’s hero slideshow. I still get goosebumps watching that footage—talk about rising to the occasion.

• BREATH

  • Sweet breath keeps Valentine kisses welcome. Ancient Romans thought breath contained the soul—“spiritus”—so technically you’re gifting someone your soul when you share breath mints. Romantic, right?

• WOODY

  • Woody the cowboy gave us the phrase “reach for the sky!”—which I shout at my laundry when shirts refuse to fold. Also, fun pun: wood + y = full of splinters, metaphorically.

• MOUND

  • A mound of whipped cream turns cocoa into dessert. Anthropologists say ancient burial mounds were humanity’s first monuments to memory—basically epic lumps with feelings.

• PEPPER

  • Cute fact: pepper-mint oil can revive exhausted bees. So every candy might secretly be a superhero cape for pollinators—how’s that for a sweet Valentine image?

• PHILLIPS

  • Captain Phillips faced pirates; Tom Hanks faced another Oscar. Fun naval note: “Captain” derives from Latin “caput,” meaning head—appropriate for a guy who kept his.

• HUMP

  • Camels store fat, not water, in their hump—myth busted! I store stress in mine (aka shoulders), but wishing for a built-in cushion anyway.

• RISE

  • Bread rises, temperatures rise, and—according to every rom-com—feelings inevitably rise to a rooftop declaration. Leavening agents everywhere cheer.

Theme Hints

1. UPTICK

   • When numbers or feelings shoot north, these verbs tag along for the ride.

2. PROTUBERANCE

   • Little hills on skin, ground, or gravy. Feel for the rise, not the cut.

3. TOM HANKS ROLES

   • First names, surnames, but all the same Oscar-winning dad energy.

4. WORDS BEFORE "MINT"

   • If you pop one before smooching, this category’s already kissed you back.

Answers Explanation